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The streets of Leeuwenhoek were livelier than I expected.
“Wow! There are so many shops around here.”
My original plan had been to go shopping by myself, if Lord Felix had seemed busy. However, looking at the number of stores here, it would’ve been difficult to find any specific one. I was fortunate that he’d been able to accompany me.
“Lucille, where do you want to go?” Lord Felix asked.
“Umm, let’s try a medicinal herb store first, if there is one. I think they’d have tools available for sale.”
There were various ways of making medicines, each utilizing their own unique equipment. It would cost an exorbitant amount to buy the full assortment, so for now, I was only looking for what I needed to make a panacea out of the raspweed I’d harvested.
Lost in thought about what I might require, I found a black-gloved hand had been proffered before me. I looked up and saw Lord Felix regarding me with a serious expression.
Is he going to escort me like we’re a couple on a date?
I timidly held out my hand, and he gently squeezed my fingertips. I couldn’t help but laugh in my head at how reserved this hand-holding was.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked. “Come, let’s go.”
Oh dear. Apparently my internal laughter had worked its way out onto my face.
We entered a cozy herb store that was staffed by a young lady about my age.
“Welco— Huh?!”
When the girl saw Lord Felix, she let out a cry of surprise and then slapped a hand over her mouth. Judging by her reaction, she recognized him as the marquess of this land.
Well, anyone would be surprised if the person in charge of their territory suddenly showed up. I can’t imagine Lord Felix frequents herb stores very often.
I also felt somewhat proud that even this shopkeeper girl, who had no relation to Lord Felix, recognized his face. It meant that he visited the town regularly to check up on things.
While I was secretly grinning to myself, an old woman with a hunched back inched forward from the back of the store to see what the commotion was. She, too, widened her eyes at the sight of Lord Felix. However, her reaction didn’t appear to be only directed at him.
“Oh my!” the old woman exclaimed. “I can’t believe the lord brought such a pretty young lady to our store.”
“Grandma!” The girl’s face paled, likely at the fear that her grandmother might have spoken out of turn.
Though the old woman’s mumbling hadn’t seemed to be addressed to us, I replied with a smile nevertheless.
“Why, thank you for the compliment! You must be surprised by Lord Felix’s unannounced visit. I’m afraid it’s my fault—I suddenly expressed my desire to see the town, and he catered to my selfish request! Tee hee!”
Her praise had so overjoyed me that I couldn’t help but ramble—and squeeze in some bragging about Lord Felix granting my wish while I was at it. I looked up at him as I giggled and found that he was staring at me with an unreadable expression.
For some reason, the girl was gaping at us in disbelief. Was Lord Felix’s presence really that bizarre?
“The lord...catered to a selfish request?” she murmured.
After buying a few tools from the herb store, we returned to the street outside.
“I’m sorry you had to pay for my tools, Lord Felix,” I said.
It’d completely slipped my mind that I didn’t have any money on my person. Upon realizing, I’d thought, “Oh no!” and made to leave the store, accepting that I’d have to give up on buying anything today. But before I knew it, Lord Felix had already paid for the items in my stead. How dashing of him!
My excuse was that I’d only ever gone shopping as a cat with my owners, so I’d never paid for anything. Even after becoming human, all of my purchases had been from the merchants who brought their wares to the Gustelanola estate. I hadn’t had a chance to go shopping in the city.
I’ll just have to get used to this, then!
The idea that I didn’t have a single coin to my name did dampen my enthusiasm, though. How was I going to get my hands on some money?
“You’re my fiancée, so it’s only natural,” Lord Felix said, abruptly looking away. Judging from his slightly flushed ears, he felt embarrassed.
He really is a kind man!
At the end of the day, I was only a temporary fiancée that had been forced upon him due to some nonsensical reason. In my prophetic dream, were it not for his disdain toward me, he would’ve treated me well—despite the circumstances of our engagement. Still, I was glad that we’d become proper friends, unlike in my dream.
As we walked along the street, a boy sped past us only to trip and thud to the ground in front of Lord Felix.
Lord Felix froze in surprise. Peering into his face to check his well-being revealed only wide open eyes and a mouth shut tight. He didn’t seem to be breathing.
Pfft, ha ha ha! Look at Lord Felix’s face! His dramatic reactions are so amusing!
While I was trying to hold back my laughter, the boy who had fallen on his rear burst out in tears as soon as his eyes landed on Lord Felix’s face.
“W-Waaahhh!”
“Oh dear.” I shouldn’t be laughing at a time like this.
I rushed to help the boy up. He had no visible injuries, but it was possible some were out of sight.
“Are you okay?” I asked. “Does it hurt anywhere?”
“S-Scary!”
“Oh, the fall must’ve startled you.” I nodded and squeezed the boy’s hand.
“No, Lucille...” Lord Felix said timidly. “I don’t think that’s what he means.”
It seemed he’d finally shaken off his initial shock, but I decided to prioritize dealing with the boy.
“Don’t worry,” I said reassuringly. “Is your mom nearby?”
“M-Mom! Where is she?! Mooom!”
Apparently the boy hadn’t realized he’d been separated from his mother until now. He sniffled as he continued to cry out for her.
“I see,” I said. “Let’s look for her together, okay?” I turned to my temporary fiancé, who was standing a short distance away. “Lord Felix!”
“C-Coming,” Lord Felix said, hesitantly approaching us.
I hoisted the boy up. “Lord Felix, please let him ride on your shoulders!”
“What?!” Lord Felix and the boy shouted in unison.
I mean, if he thinks Lord Felix’s face is scary, can’t he just not look at him? Besides, the extra height will make it easier for him to spot his mother!
Both the young boy and the grown man were shocked stiff. Before either of them could reject the notion, I saddled the child over Lord Felix’s shoulders, ensuring he was secure.
They were still in a state of disbelief, their eyes wide open and their mouths slightly ajar. They’re even starting to resemble each other!
Dazed, the boy had stopped crying. As he regained his composure, it dawned on him that his field of view was higher than usual, and his eyes began to twinkle.
“So high!” he exclaimed.
“That’s right,” I said with a smile. “You can see a lot from up there, can’t you?”
“Lucille, you can be surprisingly impulsive...and bold,” Lord Felix said, his voice weak.
Hmm, is that so? I don’t think I am, but if that’s how he sees it, then perhaps it’s true.
Lord Felix’s tension had eased, his muscles relaxing, upon seeing the boy’s excitement. Well, it was more like he didn’t have a choice but to loosen up.
“So hiiigh! Wooow!”
“Hey, wait! Stay still!”
As the boy became accustomed to his seat on Lord Felix’s shoulders, his actions grew larger and more enthusiastic. Lord Felix was forced to stop being so reserved in how he was holding the boy, lest he drop him.
“Is Lushille Felisk’s?” the boy asked Lord Felix.
Tee hee, he’s too young to be able to pronounce “Lucille” and “Felix” clearly. That’s so cute! Also, is he asking if I belong to Lord Felix?
The boy probably didn’t know the implications of his question, so I was curious as to how Lord Felix would respond.
After a pause, Lord Felix said with utmost seriousness, “No. Lucille and I are engaged, but she is not my possession.”
“Not yours? Then can Lushille be my wife?” the boy continued cheerfully.
“Oh my!” I exclaimed. How adorable!
“What?!” Lord Felix shouted at the same time. “Sorry, but that’s unacceptable. She may not belong to me, but that doesn’t mean you can have her.”
For some reason, his right hand moved to squeeze mine as he said that. I wonder what’s gotten into him? Incidentally, he was using his other to support the boy on his shoulders.
“Awww!” the boy whined. “You’re greedy!”
“What?! Still, no means no! As I said, Lucille isn’t an object that can be owned.”
“Greedy!”
“You need to learn some manners.”
Lord Felix’s annoyed objections and the boy’s spoiled tantrum were so cute that I could no longer hold back my laughter.
Even then, the townspeople’s reactions at first concerned me.
“I-Is that the marquess?! Eek! He’s kidnapping a child!”
“That boy must have offended him. I feel bad, but it’s too late for him now...”
“Oh, what in the world was his mother doing?!”
I was so sure that the higher vantage point would allow the boy to find his mother more quickly, but my brilliant plan was met with nothing but distraught voices.
Um, those are quite the accusations to be making where we can hear them. Not to mention, it’s also a complete misunderstanding...
I checked Lord Felix’s expression, worried that he might feel hurt by their comments, but he seemed to be so preoccupied with the boy that he hadn’t heard them at all. That was a relief.
Could it be that Lord Felix isn’t liked by his people? Even so, would that justify this atmosphere?
Fortunately, the opinions around us shifted as we walked.
“Wait, look closely. Isn’t it the child in control?”
“That can’t be... Hmm? You’re right. The lord does seem oddly flustered.”
“He isn’t scolding the boy for throwing a tantrum... Instead, he seems to be trying to gently calm him down.”
“Isn’t the marquess supposed to be a scary, heartless man?”
The emotions on the townspeople’s faces transformed from fear to surprise, confusion, relief, and doubt toward the impression they’d previously held of him.